There are probably thousands if not millions of tiny, dirty little creatures in bed with you every night. No, I'm not talking about some strange little aliens, these little critters are called dust mites. If you are unfortunate enough to suffer from asthma or allergies, they may make your symptoms even worse. So whether you have an adjustable bed or a regular bed, these little critters are nothing but a nuisance.
Dust mites take up residence in mattresses, pillows, blankets, quilts, carpets and fabric covered furniture, thrive in the summer and usually die in the winter. They may continue to thrive in the winter if your house happens to be extra warm and humid.
The bedroom is the prime location of choice that has an environment that dust mite love. Your mattress can contain hundreds of thousands of them and an old pillow can have 20% of its own weight made up of dust mites, dead and alive and mainly their droppings(yes...I mean bug doodoo). Kind of makes you look at your bed a little differently tonight (sorry).
Why do they love to get in bed with us ? Because most animals, including humans shed skin flakes every year. We all naturally lose skin, head and pubic hairs by the thousands every year. A household of four normal adults shed over three pounds in weight of skin flakes annually. Over 80% of the dust particles floating in the air and settling on your furniture is made up of dead skin cells. Since dust mites eat dead skin cells, our beds are like an all you can eat for free smorgasbord.
Dust mites are closely related to the Spider as they have eight legs, but no eyes and no antennae . Female mites lay between 40 and 80 eggs in a lifetime which lasts up to seven weeks. The good news is that they are tiny. Just a gram of dust may contain up to 5,000 mites, and an ounce of dust may host 150,000. You just cannot see them crawling about, but they are there. Pesticides do not get rid of them because they are not approved for control of house dust mites and due to the fact that they can damage you as much as them.
How do I get rid of these pests ?
* Feather and down pillows with synthetic fillings should be replaced.
* Cover the mattress top and sides with a special synthetic cover.
* Thoroughly Vacuum your mattress especially the base and head of the bed.
* Keep your mattress as dry as possible as dust mites like it damp, especially with sweat.
* Change and wash your pillowcases, sheets, and under the blankets regularly.
* Vacuum the base of the bed and around the covered mattress weekly.
* Wash all bedding frequently in hot water (60oC weekly). Wash curtains regularly as well.
* Dehumidifier help because house mites need high humidity to live and grow.
* Bed-clothes should be thrown back and open the windows wide to have a good airing out. When you make your bed, you cover up the little critters and make them feel as snug as a bug in a bed.
Where Children Sleep
* Keep toys that will accumulate dust out of the child's bedroom * Avoid stuffed toys * Use only washable toys of wood, rubber, metal, or plastic * Store toys in a closed toy box or chest * Avoid upholstered furniture and blinds. * Use only a wooden or metal chair that you can scrub. * Use only plain, lightweight curtains on the windows.
I wish you good luck on getting these little creepy crawlies out of your life. The last thing you want to get into bed with is unwanted, creepy little health hazards.
It is estimated that over 50 million Americans suffer from allergies, and of that number approximately 30 million American suffer from asthma. While there can be many different allergic triggers that cause respiratory allergies and asthma, one such allergic toxin naturally occurs in every bed and pillow, dust mites. Not only do dust mites and their droppings cause symptoms such as red itchy eyes, sinus irritation and breathing difficulties, they can also lead to a full blown asthma attack, even worse during the time your body is trying to rejuvenate itself, while you sleep. It is well documented that a disproportionate percentage of asthma attacks that result in fatality occur during the hours we typically sleep, 12am to 6am. This is a direct result of allergens, dust mites and their droppings, and other micro toxins which build up over time in our mattresses, pillows, box springs, and duvets.
It's a fact: the average person spends a third of their life (220,000 hours) in bed. Coupled with the reality that the average mattress can contain millions of dust mites and the implications are worrisome ? those millions of microscopic dust mites can cause a little more than a few irritations over a lifetime.
Here are a few more dust mite facts:
? One dust mite will produce 20 waste droppings in a single day and females can produce upwards of 2000 fecal particles during their lifetime.
? Dust mite droppings are small enough to get lodged in a human lung's bronchial tube, which results in asthma and skin irritation.
? Ten percent of the weight of a two-year-old pillow can be attributed to deceased dust mites and their excretions.
? Since they do not drink water but instead absorb moisture thru their shell, humid climates and seasons allow them to breed and thrive at a much higher rate.
? The average life span of a female dust mite is ten weeks; during this time she will lay 60 to 100 eggs.
Many families assume that simply washing their sheets once a week will solve the dust mite problem. This assumption is wrong in that bleach and soaps do not kill dust mites because they actually live in mattresses and pillows, not in the sheets or pillowcases that are being washed.
One way to kill dust mites is to either freeze or heat up your mattresses and pillows to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. This has to be done for over an hour and needs to be repeated frequently, as dust mites reproduce in less than a five week span. However, constantly burning and freezing a pillow or mattress is dangerous and cumbersome, if not downright impossible (you'd need access to a meat locker to freeze a king-size mattress). Additionally, dust mites are not confined to your mattress or pillow, as they can be transported via minor air currents created by normal household activities.
Vacuuming your mattress or pillows also bears little effect, as dust mites have the ability to climb deep within your mattresses? fabric. Put simply, cleaning, washing or vacuuming will not rid the average American household of dust mites and their enormous amounts of dust mite excretions.
With over 50 million Americans suffering from allergies or asthma, finding a sustainable method to combat the dust mite problem has to become a priority for households across the country.
Encasing your mattress and pillows in allergen-impermeable mattress encasements and pillow covers is the most simple and realistic way to protect your sleep. These encasements will trap existing dust mites inside your mattress and pillows and protect you from future dust mite infestations. It should be noted that one should search for an allergen bedding product that has a pore size of less than one micron to insure the highest level of protection from these known micro toxins.
Allergen-impermeable mattress encasements and pillow covers are relatively inexpensive and are widely available online and in most large or chain stores. These bedding encasements offer protection against dust mites, and help avoid allergy outbreaks and asthma attacks.
Both Paul Freitas & Ben Herman are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Paul Freitas has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Disease & illness and Fitness. Emmanuel DeFreitas is the administrator for the providing detailed information on electric, medical and used. Paul Freitas's top article generates over 2400 views. to your Favourites.
Ben Herman has sinced written about articles on various topics from Fitness, Lose Weight and Depression Cure. We invite you to view the CleanRest website and read more about , bed bugs, asthma attacks, and other allergies through the use of. Ben Herman's top article generates over 1900 views. to your Favourites.